Libby Prison

Libby Prison, in Richmond, Va., a Confederate prison for captured Union officers in the American Civil War. It was previously a tobacco warehouse. Living conditions were extremely bad; the food, sometimes lacking altogether, was poor and sanitation practically nonexistent. Thousands died there. Except for Andersonville Prison, Ga., Libby Prison was the most notorious in the Confederacy.

See F. A. Bartleson, Letters from Libby Prison (ed. by M. W. Peelle, 1956).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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